As the Seasons Change
by May'sDecember
Summary: I wasn't a farmer and that wasn't a farm. But life didn't seem to understand that, and so began my life in Mineral Town.
1. Chapter 1

**_Hello there, this is my fan fiction of BtN which i will be writing on the side of Hypnagogia. I'd appreciate reviews and tips (im still getting the hang of writing stories so tips and suggestions would really help.)_**

**_Peace!_**

**_-TheMeltingBoy_**

**As the Seasons Change  
**

**Chapter One**

Nothing was as I remembered it.

I guess that's a given since the last time I had visited the farm was twenty years ago; back when I had not a care in the world, during an age in my life when I never wanted to grow up. But as hard as I fought it I did grow up - very reluctantly I might add, my parents practically had to pry the toy army men from my hands when it came time for me to enter high school.

Now here I am, a grown man visiting a faded childhood memory and realizing that its appeal was lost somewhere in the transitioning years to adulthood. Not that I was fully into adulthood – I've barely scratched the surface at age twenty-five so I still have a whole lot of growing up to do.

I took off my hat and ran my fingers through my messy brown hair. The farm appeared to be dead; the field was dry and barren, the barn and chicken coop looked like they would collapse at the slightest breeze, and the house…I didn't even know where to begin in explain that thing's problems. I didn't need a college degree to figure out that the old man who used to live here, the one who I had been having a pen pal friendship with for the last twenty years, had died.

Somewhere deep, deep, deep, down in my heart I felt a tinge of sadness – did I mention the sadness was deep down? For twenty years I wrote letters to the old man and with each one my hatred for him grew. Each letter he sent me was filled to the brim with racist comments, degrading language towards women, and dogmatic beliefs towards religion. The only reason I would continue writing him was because it counted towards my community service hours – somehow keeping bitter, old men entertained till they die was considered helpful to society. Heck, maybe I had made his last days on earth enjoyable.

Just then the 'Welcome to Harvest Farm' sign came crashing down. Or maybe his last days alive were hell.

I began to walk along the edge of the dead field where I took notice of all the weeds, branches, stumps, and rocks that were scattered amongst the barrenness. It was early spring but on the aged farm it looked more like late fall.

Why had I come back? From the old man's letters I could tell he was getting sick and when a month went by without one coming in the mail I had assumed he passed away. Did I need clarification of his passing? That could be it…but it didn't feel right…there was something else.

_"I'll come back, and then we'll get married!" _

No, I was only five when I promised her that. That couldn't have been why I came back to this run down place, could it?

I starred at the spot where the welcome sign had fallen – it had been there that I made the promise to her; a girl who I had only just met.

_"You promise,"_

_"I promise,"_

Twenty years…did she still remember?

The sheer idiocy of it made me laugh; if I could only remember the words then how could I expect her to remember anything?

My mind became lost in trying to remember what she looked like – Did she have blond or black hair? Was it red?

"Hey, you!" While thinking about the mystery girl I hadn't noticed a short, middle aged, man with a red top hat approach me. He seemed a little ticked off at me which was probably because I was trespassing.

"Er…hello sir," I tried not to stare at his massive moustache as I addressed him –man that thing was huge.

He crossed his pudgy arms across his chest and looked me up and down to try and assess me.

"I've never seen you around these parts before. Why are you here?" The man was curt and hostile. What a great welcoming party.

"I knew the old man that used to live here." Immediately there was a change in the man's face; his eyes showed regret and sadness while his posture became less rigid.

"I'm terribly sorry. Please excuse my rudeness; I thought you were a vandal." His apology seemed sincere enough but then his expression changed once more. "How did you know the old man?" His eyes narrowed and his voice was filled with suspicion. Man, couldn't he just let up for a sec.

I took the time to carefully explain the situation to him and he seemed to understand.

"And when the letters stopped you got worried and came to check on him," The man added. In reality, no, I didn't care what had happened to the old man, but I gave a nod anyway. Yes was always a much quicker way of ending things because saying no would bring up all sorts of questions that I didn't even know the answers to yet.

The portly man began to look at the farm in a reminiscent sort of way; he must have been recalling the death of the old man.

"He died a season ago at the beginning winter, he had been sick for several seasons and it wasn't a surprise to the community. But we faced a problem; he left ownership of the farm to a man named Jack," On that note he turned to me, "is that your name?"

Gulping I removed my hat and scratched my head, it was a nervous thing.

"Yes," I stammered. He smiled and placed his hand on my shoulder – I might add that he had to stand on his toes to reach my shoulders.

"Congratulations, all this," his hands made overdramatic gestures to the surrounding farmland, "is yours."

No. Why on earth would the old geezer leave his rundown farm to me? Didn't he have some relatives out there? Who was I kidding, I was probably the only person who put up with him and if he had family they had most likely disowned him a long time ago.

The man tilted his head sideways and his hat looked like it would tumble off his oddly shaped head. "You don't want it?"

Come on dude, I'm no farmer and this isn't anything close to a farm.

But I simply replied with a no and he gave me a slight smile. "That's okay…not much of a farm…I suppose you could put it up for sale…someone might be interested." The man looked saddened.

Maybe a blind person, I thought to myself. We began to walk out of the farm, neither saying a word. I felt a little sorry for saying no to him.

"Jack," he said; stopping and looking up at me. It occurred to me then that I hadn't learned the man's name.

"Yes sir?"

"If you reconsider taking care of the farm just let me know, okay?" I had no intention of ever going back to the farm; I would go back to the city, sell the place to a real farmer, and collect the cash. Not that I was greedy, it's just that money is tight these days.

"Sure thing…um…I didn't seem to catch your name," He gave me a smile and addressed himself as Mayor Thomas. There wasn't anything else to say so I continued on the path towards the docks. By morning I would be back in my apartment continuing a noisy life in the city

Unfortunately a feeling in my gut told me that I would be spending more time in Mineral Town than I had planned.

* * *

She watched him from her bedroom window; he looked so familiar with that hat and overalls. A distant memory played in her mind 

_It couldn't be him….the boy from long ago…the one who promised to marry me when we were older._

The girl held her breath; he had looked up at her window for a moment, had he seen her watching him?

For years she had waited, hoping that he would return and take her away from this place, but eventually she gave up on him. She figured he had forgotten about her, just as all the other men in her life had. And now there he was…

_Did he come back for me?_

If that indeed was him, the boy from long ago, then he was too late.

Her heart was taken.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**_I've been inactive for a while due to technical difficulties with life. But now I'm back and ready to write. Currently I'm looking for a beta reader because quite frankly i miss a lot of things. This will be the last of my Author Notes till the end. Enjoy._**

**_-TheMeltingBoy�_**

**�**

**As The Seasons Change**

**_Chapter Two_**_  
_

�

_"Don't be fooled by the warm greetings and beautiful scenery my son, this town's hell."_

The old man had told me that once. I couldn't help but smile as I started down the sandy beach towards the docks; he had got the first part right, however, it wasn't the town that was hell, it was that godforsaken farm. How on earth was I going to sell that property? Any sane person could see that there was nothing salvageable in that dump.

I forced myself to change the subject – why dwell on such sadness? Now I thought about how majestic the ocean looked; its clear blue water sparkling from the sun's bright rays, the gentle waves breaking softly at the edge of the shore, not to mention from where I stood I could see all the way to the mainland. 

Maybe I should stay a bit longer, check out the sunset. 

Somewhere in the massive library of memories located in my head, I recalled a lesson from my freshman year of High School English: The Odyssey; something about an island with Lotus Flowers. If I recalled correctly, anyone who ate the lotus flowers on that island never wanted to leave, as if the plant were some sort of drug. Already this town felt as though it were trying to keep me from leaving. 

Somewhere above my head a seagull let out a cry and I turned all my focus to the clear blue sky – living on the city I had never seen the air so clean. I finally spotted the bird flying over the sea to the mainland; it was gliding along, the wind beneath its wings. 

Why was I leaving?

I blinked. The answer seemed easy: I lived in the big city, far away from small towns like this; that was where my home was, not here. 

Technically I did own a home in the town, but that was beside the point. Small towns like this place have close knit communities, and while they welcomed visitors with open arms, to new residents they were sure to be wary. The fact of the matter was this: I'm a city slicker, I don't know the first thing about farming, and I sure as hell don't know how to rebuild a run-down, dead, no-hope-for-the-future farm. 

If that was true, then why was I even considering staying?

_She held my hand._

I felt the nostalgia creeping up on me like ivy on a terrace. Present time had begun to mix with memories of twenty years earlier; no longer was I standing on the beach during a clear spring day, now I sat cross legged at the edge of the shore watching the sun lower itself towards the horizon. I remembered it like yesterday: We had watched the sun set on this beach, me and that girl from long ago. Both of us sat there with our eyes unmoving, admiring the orange ball of fire lower itself beneath the mountains of the mainland. We stayed there even after the sun was gone completely from sight; we then watched the stars twinkle in the night sky. The sand beneath me was cool and so was the breeze that blew down from the hills; I was startled when I felt the warmth of her hand on mine. 

The memory began to fade and current reality started to set back in, but the warmth of her hand on mine lingered. My gaze drifted from the spot where my memory took place over to the dock; the ferry that had taken me to the island rocked back and forth in the water. 

I had to leave, I just had to. This town was doing something to me and I didn't like it. I hurried over to the ferry-master's cottage. 

Before the sun came close to setting, the ferry had taken off for the mainland with me on it. I didn't want to look back but I couldn't help it, Mineral Town had that magical quality about it – the very magical quality that frightened me on the beach. 

I watched it for some time. A spell had been cast on me and now my thoughts were riddled with _what ifs. _

_What if you discover you have a knack for farming, or what if you just gave it a trial run? What if…_

The 'what ifs' spoke loudly in my head, but none of them more loudly than one in particular: _What if she's waiting for you?_

When I got back to my small apartment building in the upper east side of the city it was already nine o'clock. While I usually found myself leaving the apartment at this time – usually to meet a few friends at a local bar – I decided to call it an early night. The events of the day rested heavily on my mind as I crawled beneath the sheets of my twin sized bed. It wasn't long before I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_Nothing was as I remembered it. _

_I stood beneath the welcoming arch of the farm; no longer was it aged and faded, someone had replaced it with a brand new one. Amazed, I walked forward, further into the farm. No longer was it hell, but now it was some sort of farmers paradise. _

_Green grass blew in the wind as a few cows and sheep grazed lazily beneath the sun, chickens clucked happily in front of their white chicken coop, a couple of birds chirped from their nests in the green apple tree. I turned to look at the house which had previously been in an indescribable condition; it stood there wrapped in an atmosphere of welcoming, maybe it was the newly painted roof, the windows with yellow drapes, or even the flowers planted along the front of it. Whatever it was it screamed "Come on in and stay awhile."_

_Somehow I ended up walking up to the front door and turning the doorknob; before I was even fully in the house the smell of freshly baked cookies attacked me. I closed my eyes let the aroma take me over._

_"Honey, is that you?" a sweet voice chimed from somewhere in the house. My eyes sprung open and I wandered further into the house searching for the woman who that voice belonged to. _

_The inside was just as welcoming as the outside; it defiantly had a woman's touch to it. I heard the sound of soft footsteps walk across the wooden floor towards me and before I could turn around two gentle hands were covering my eyes. _

_"Welcome home honey," she whispered into my ear as she turned me around; her hands sliding down from my eyes and now caressing my cheeks._

* * *

I woke up in an instant, the dream already fading way. The sun was shinning through my small bedroom window and I could hear the sounds of cars honking from the street below. My hand went up to my cheek; the warmth of her hands was still there. 

_Her hands…_

Within an hour my bags were packed, I slid the month's rent beneath the door of my landlord and caught a taxi to the docks. Not once did I look back at the busy mainland, my gaze was focused dead ahead at ferry's destination: Mineral Town.

"_I'll come back,"_

It took me twenty years but I was finally going back.

_"And then we'll get married!"_

Yes, just like I promised. 


End file.
